1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a holder for a fishing rod. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, the present invention relates to a holder for a fishing rod which may be temporarily supported from another object.
2. Background
Fishing rod holders are well known in the art. Generally speaking, rod holders potentially solve two problems: (a) they free the fisherman to do other things while maintaining one or more lines in the water; and (b) they allow the fisherman to have several lines in the water at one time, thereby increasing the chances of catching a fish.
It is generally accepted that simultaneously fishing with multiple lines in the water dramatically increases the chances of catching a fish. Beyond the obvious advantage of merely increasing the odds of a strike, each hook may be placed at a different depth, different baits may be used, or other factors may be varied to determine an effective combination for a particular type of fish at a particular location at that particular time. Rod holders have been developed for a number of environments, allowing a single fisherman to maintain several rods at one time whether fishing from a boat, a dock, the bank, etc.
In addition, rod holders have been developed in a variety of styles to fill various competing needs, i.e. rod holders for temporary installation versus rod holders for permanent installation; rod holders which hold the rod handle versus rod holders which support the rod while the handle rests on the ground or deck; rod holders developed specifically for use on a particular type of boat; rod holders to be supported from an automobile; rod holders for anchoring to the ground, and the like.
A limitation of some rod holders is the ease with which the rod may be removed by a striking fish. For example, many holders use a simple tube, such as a section of PVC pipe, to support the rod handle. If the pipe is too close to horizontal and sufficient line is in the water, the rod may be easily lost to a striking fish. It should be noted that for boat mounted holders, rocking of the boat may cause the angle between the rod and the line to vary significantly which may compound this problem. Rod holders which support the rod, instead of the handle, likewise allow the rod to fall prey to a striking fish. While it may seem obvious that a rod holder should not allow the rod to be removed by a striking fish, a surprising number of prior art devices will release the rod to relatively small forces exerted longitudinally from the tip of the rod.
A further limitation of many prior art rod holders is that such holders only accommodate a single rod. Since a single fisherman can usually manage a large number of rods, a rod holder should provide multiple stations to reduce the number of mounting points for the holders. In addition, many holders which accommodate multiple rods do not hold the rods in a position, relative to each other, which makes logical use of the fishable area. The ability to xe2x80x9cfan-outxe2x80x9d the rods at angular intervals improves the distance between rod tips and reduces the risk of entanglement between adjacent fishing lines.
Yet another limitation of many prior art rod holders if the complexity of manufacturing the device. Ideally, a rod holder should be relatively simple to manufacture and should employee a minimal number of fasteners which may inadvertently loosen during use or which may be accidentally lost.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fishing rod holder which overcomes the problems and alleviates the needs discussed above.
The present invention provides a fishing rod holder which is easy to manufacture, adaptable to virtually any fishing environment, provides stations for a plurality of fishing rods while making logical use of the fishable area, and which will not allow removal of the rod by a striking fish.
In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of wire loops are attached to a support bar which is secured to a fixed object by means of a clamping device. When a rod is supported by the holder, the rear portion of the handle passes under the wire loop while the central or forward portion of the rod handle rests on a forward portion of the wire loop which is directly supported by the support bar. To remove the fishing rod, the rod must be tipped slightly upward, thus preventing an outward force on the line from dislodging the rod.
In another embodiment, the clamping device comprises a pair of brackets which are receivable over the edge of a bucket, such as, by way of example and not limitation, a five gallon bucket of the type commonly used as a container for paint. The bucket may then be weighted with sand, water, rocks, or the like, to provide a temporary, fixed support for the rod holder. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, filling the bucket with water is of particular interest since the bucket may also be used for temporary storage of live bait.
In another embodiment, the inventive rod holder includes a clamp configured for clamping the rod holder to a vertical post, such as a post commonly found on boat docks. Thus, each post of a dock may be used to support several fishing rods simultaneously.
In yet another embodiment, the inventive rod holder includes a clamp configured for clamping the rod holder to a horizontal rail such as, for example, the handrail typically found on pontoon boats.